One question I constantly get asked is if I count calories or if I track macros. No, I do not!!! I'm not saying people who do are doing it wrong, but personally, I do not recommend this method. When I started my weight loss journey, I tracked my calories. At first, it was fine and wasn't something I would stress too much over. Before I knew it, I became obsessed with counting calories. I tracked EVERYTHING, down to one small piece of fruit before bed at night. If I went even 20 calories over, I began to feel guilty and felt like I had to go burn it off. Now, this of course will not happen to everyone who tracks, but the point is, it can become an obsession very easily, and you loose all the joy in becoming a healthier version of yourself.
After this, I got off of counting calories for a while, but still restricted my eating. If you've read my story on Instagram, you know there was a time when I realized I was underweight and not at a healthy place. I wasn't happy with myself or my life, and health was a chore to me, not something I enjoyed. I decided I wanted to get healthy again and gain some weight back. I decided I'd track calories to make sure I got enough. Again, this started off okay, and then I quickly became obsessed with hitting the exact number again. Rather than worrying about the quality of what was going into my body, I was strictly worried if I could make it hit my exact goal number. I was also stressed out with planning out every single calorie I would eat that day, and even though I was gaining back needed weight, I wasn't enjoying this lifestyle at all. I felt restricted and unhappy.
Not too long ago, probably about 5 months now, I decided I was done with tracking for good. It was very hard to get out of at first, as I had been doing it for so long. I would still catch myself adding my meals up in my head, which is really no different. Overtime though, I finally reached a point where I could truly not know the number, and it didn't bother me at all. Once I got this mindset, I began to enjoy my food again. I also began to eat a lot cleaner, which of course, made me feel better in general. Rather than focusing on calories and quantity, I was able to just worry about quality and getting plenty of the things my body needed. I began to see a lot more progress from my workouts, as I was fueling my body with what it truly needed, not just hitting a certain number. I was okay now with eating more some days than others if I was really hungry or had an extra hard workout. There was no more stress about making my meals fit, and I could truly enjoy this healthy lifestyle I had found.
Long story short, I believe if you eat clean the majority of the time, fuel your body with enough food, and keep pushing to get stronger, you will make progress. I think that tracking calories or macros just makes a lifestyle that you should be able to love seem more like a restricting one. There is no need to worry about hitting an exact number when you can make progress without having to do all that tracking. Food should be something we enjoy, not something we stress over or see as a chore. Rather than focusing on numbers, just focus on how you feel and the quality of what you put in your body... and remember it's the lifestyle that is gonna get you to your goals. So why waste time worrying about tracking calories? That's not a lifestyle I'm gonna enjoy! Just enjoy your food (the bad ones sometimes too of course!! ), enjoy the people around you, and learn to love yourself! Hope this was helpful :)
{Again, if you track, I'm not saying that is wrong. Just from my experiences, I have not been able to truly make an enjoyable and healthy lifestyle while doing this.}
After this, I got off of counting calories for a while, but still restricted my eating. If you've read my story on Instagram, you know there was a time when I realized I was underweight and not at a healthy place. I wasn't happy with myself or my life, and health was a chore to me, not something I enjoyed. I decided I wanted to get healthy again and gain some weight back. I decided I'd track calories to make sure I got enough. Again, this started off okay, and then I quickly became obsessed with hitting the exact number again. Rather than worrying about the quality of what was going into my body, I was strictly worried if I could make it hit my exact goal number. I was also stressed out with planning out every single calorie I would eat that day, and even though I was gaining back needed weight, I wasn't enjoying this lifestyle at all. I felt restricted and unhappy.
Not too long ago, probably about 5 months now, I decided I was done with tracking for good. It was very hard to get out of at first, as I had been doing it for so long. I would still catch myself adding my meals up in my head, which is really no different. Overtime though, I finally reached a point where I could truly not know the number, and it didn't bother me at all. Once I got this mindset, I began to enjoy my food again. I also began to eat a lot cleaner, which of course, made me feel better in general. Rather than focusing on calories and quantity, I was able to just worry about quality and getting plenty of the things my body needed. I began to see a lot more progress from my workouts, as I was fueling my body with what it truly needed, not just hitting a certain number. I was okay now with eating more some days than others if I was really hungry or had an extra hard workout. There was no more stress about making my meals fit, and I could truly enjoy this healthy lifestyle I had found.
Long story short, I believe if you eat clean the majority of the time, fuel your body with enough food, and keep pushing to get stronger, you will make progress. I think that tracking calories or macros just makes a lifestyle that you should be able to love seem more like a restricting one. There is no need to worry about hitting an exact number when you can make progress without having to do all that tracking. Food should be something we enjoy, not something we stress over or see as a chore. Rather than focusing on numbers, just focus on how you feel and the quality of what you put in your body... and remember it's the lifestyle that is gonna get you to your goals. So why waste time worrying about tracking calories? That's not a lifestyle I'm gonna enjoy! Just enjoy your food (the bad ones sometimes too of course!! ), enjoy the people around you, and learn to love yourself! Hope this was helpful :)
{Again, if you track, I'm not saying that is wrong. Just from my experiences, I have not been able to truly make an enjoyable and healthy lifestyle while doing this.}